Changing Times
by Rurouni Angel
Summary: A man from the past, a victim of the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, will emerge to seek revenge. With the murder of his beloved fuelling his need, the victim becomes the abuser. In his quest to destroy the legendary killer he will crush the one known as Hi


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Changing Times

Chapter 1

By: Rurouni Angel

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Rated: Well for the rules on everything up to R will be posted here. For the R and NC-17 chapters and scenes you will be provided a link for such.

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Disclaimer: Every character belong to their legal owners. I am merely borrowing them for this story. Copyrights stand as they always do. However the plot is totally my own, I may do as I wish with it. Please don't feel the need to copy my plots or scenarios. There are tons of wonderful people with ideas all their own, you might be lucky and be one of those people. Do try to use you own plots and scenarios rather than mine.

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Author Notes: This is going to be dark story no two ways about it. Character death is here as well as some alternate pairing. Rape and abuse will almost be mentioned. I will keep those touchy topics to a bare minimum. Also I would like to thank my polisher slash beta for the look overs. So thankies to **Chiruken**. Now I must say I **love **reviews, and flames? Well I need something to keep me warm. But please listen to me, I do have real life duties. No matter how I wish writing fan fiction is not going to pay my bills. So listen up this story will be updated however I will aim to do a update once every two weeks. So no nasty reviews complaining on no updates and the length of the chapters. Deal?

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Summary: A man from the past, a victim of the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, will emerge to seek revenge. With the murder of his beloved fuelling his need, the victim becomes the abuser. In his quest to destroy the legendary killer he will crush the one known as Himura Kenshin. In his wake lives will be forever changed. Innocents will be lost, spirits broken, and most importantly dying wish's will be made. It will take only woman to call forth the legendary killer, but it will take another completely different one to appease such a man.

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It was storming again. Sighing, Kamiya Kaoru could only watch as the nimble lighting raced across the sky. Though she would not admit it, she cringed a little with each booming crash of thunder that followed the streaks of lightning. Pushing back some loose hair, she paused in her nervous pacing when the sky's rumbles were silent for too long. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her slender form, blue eyes darting about restlessly as the hair threatened to stand on end at her nape. _It's my nerves. _She thought immediately, willing the tenseness from her muscles. It was close to sunrise and Kenshin, a habitual early riser, was missing from his usual place. Shaking her head sharply, a soft feminine growl working its way up her throat as her irritation grew, her mind wandered back to his abrupt departure from two nights before.

Hands closing reflexively over her upper arms, Kaoru's sapphire blue eyes narrowed as she thought of the man Kenshin had left with. She found herself wonder just what it was about Saito Hajime that she didn't like…beyond the obvious, of course…that being that the former captain of the third squad of the Shinsengumi had tried very hard to kill her beloved rurouni by using her and the others of the Kamiya Doujou as bait. Sighing she shook her head slowly as she silently acknowledged that it was more than mere disliking she felt for the ex-Shinsengumi captain.

No, the feeling ran strongly within her body…her very soul…that told her the truth of her feelings for the older man, yet her mind refused to believe it, despite the way her heart hammered painfully against her chest at the thoughts flitting through her consciousness.

Sheets of rain bombarded the shadowed yard of her family's doujou, obscuring her view. Flashes of lightning, coming at longer intervals, signaled the storm slowly passing by high overhead. She felt her hair try to stand on end again as thunder rumbled, seeming to shake the boards beneath her bare feet. Blue gaze troubled, she finally sighed and shook her head, silently giving in to the inner voice whispering the truth to her from the far reaches of her mind. It was true that she disliked Saito more than she disliked any other person in Japan…but it wasn't merely because he'd tried to kill Kenshin. No…there was definitely more to it than that.

_It's because he brings out the worst in Kenshin._ She thought with a frown. _He can bring out Battousai in him. _It was frightening how easy it appeared for the older man to do so. Once again she shivered, this time silently acknowledging her fear. _He's someone who pays no heed to my tears or pleas…Battousai is a man I fear more than any other!_ Kaoru felt a twinge of guilt. _How can I claim to love someone I fear?_

"Are they back yet, Kaoru-san?" Kaoru blinked quickly, startled out of her thoughts by the sleepy voice emerging from the darkness directly behind her. Annoyed by her lack of attention, she shook her head slightly. She should have noticed her friend's approach, no matter how quiet it had been. Forcing a smile to her lips, she turned slowly to face Makimachi Misao. Her smile widened and became more natural as she watched the younger woman wiping the sleep from her eyes while fighting back a wide yawn. Shaking her head with a quiet laugh, she stepped forward, away from the storm still raging beyond the warmth and security of her home.

Unable to hold it in, she laughed lightly, amazed at how her friend's mere presence could drag her out of her momentary depression. The innocents the sleepy dark-haired girl displayed brought a wide grin to Kaoru's features and another soft laugh to her lips. Seeing the cross look Misao was giving her, green eyes flashing, she suppressed another giggle at her friend's expense. The next instant all humour faded from her mind when the younger girl turned serious, green eyes lacking their usual spark that delighted everyone around her and drew them to her mischievous nature. Kaoru could feel the worry within the younger woman clearly. "Kaoru-san…" She began with uncharacteristic hesitation as the older woman turned to stare at the locked gates, mind returning once again to Himura Kenshin and her hopes that he would return to her soon. "May I ask a personal question?"

Kaoru turned to reenter the house, carefully hiding her surprise at the other woman's hesitancy. Misao, she knew, was usually much more direct than the behaviour she was currently displaying would suggest. "Of course, Misao-chan." Turning her steps in the direction of the kitchen, she decided that she had best brew some tea for the two of them. She had a feeling Misao's request to as a personal question was going to lead to a long discussion. Almost from the moment of her arrival at the doujou, Kaoru had sensed something different about the other girl. Frowning thoughtfully, she set the kettle over the fire and measured the tea leaves into the pot before turning back to her companion, noticing once again the shadows in her usually bright and vibrant green eyes.

Placing a light hand on the young ninja's shoulder she smiled reassuringly as the silence continued to stretch between them in the kitchen. "Misao-chan…I've noticed…since you and Aoshi-san arrived in Tokyo…that something seems to be bothering you." When the other girl glanced away she sighed softly and waited patiently for her to focus her seemingly scattered thoughts. She knew there was something weighing heavily on her mind and she was determined to push her own uncertainties to the back of her mind and help Misao deal with her problems first. She had a feeling she already knew what it was that was bothering her and also knew that Misao needed someone to confide in more than anything else at the moment.

Misao bit her lip and stared at the floor sightless for several moments. A part of her was urging her to continue, to ask the question that was nagging at her mind…or rather, several questions. The crackling of the fire and the sounds of water slowly beginning to boil filled the silence in the kitchen. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she looked up slowly. "You do know that it was Aoshi-sama's decision to come to Tokyo, right?" She paused, but didn't wait for a reply. "I mean, I always enjoy visiting with you and Himura, Kaoru-san…but…" She paused again and licked her suddenly dry lips. "But you see…ever since my eighteenth birthday…I…" She looked away, unable to continue to meet the other woman's steady blue gaze any longer.

Kaoru lifted the kettle off the fire and poured the steaming water over the tea leaves in the pot, inhaling the fragrant aroma appreciatively. There was something about the scent of tea that seemed to always calm her nerves when she was upset. Pouring out two cups of the steaming green liquid, she handed Misao a cup of freshly brewed tea, hoping it would help to ease her tension as much as it did for her. Nodding for her to continue, all Kaoru could really do at this point, she understood where the conversation was headed better than Misao thought. She suppressed a sigh of unhappiness. This was why Shinomori Aoshi had brought Misao to Tokyo, she knew. He wanted to give Misao the opportunity to visit with Kaoru and hopefully open up enough to allow her to puzzle out the strange mood the younger woman had been in since her eighteenth birthday.

Aoshi claimed that Misao had been suffering from a dark and gloomy mood since that day…which made no sense to Kaoru. In the three years that she'd known the other girl, she'd always been cheerful and energetic…if a bit quick tempered. She smiled softly and sipped her tea slowly. They had grown close during the last three years…more like sisters, really, than mere friends.

Misao ran her finger tips over the rim of the cup she held and peered into the green liquid intently. "Kaoru-san…" She began slowly, choosing her words with care. "Your relationship with Himura has changed…" She looked up and met Kaoru's startled blue gaze. "Hasn't it?" She frowned thoughtfully and dropped her gaze back to the tea held within the warm cup. I mean…there's…_something_ different between the two of you…" She looked up again. "Am I right?"

Kaoru, despite her mental preparations for this moment, was shocked. Not really at Misao's bluntness in asking such a question, but at the way she'd said it. She stared at the other woman for a moment, her heartbeat loud in her own ears. Suddenly her eyes widened as understanding dawned and the recent events clicked into place within her mind. She mentally shook her head, willing her eyes to remain dry, for the tears to remain locked away as she finally understood what had happened with her younger friend. She felt a momentary stirring of anger towards the former Okashira of the Oniwabanshu. Misao's recent depression suddenly made sense.

It was so simple that Aoshi, with all his intelligence, should've known. "Misao-chan…" She began slowly, noting that it was now her turn to choose her words with care. "How much of Aoshi-san's and Megumi-san's past together do you know?" She asked gently.

Her suspicions were confirmed with the other girls green eyes filled with tears. "I-I was unaware that there was anything u-until my birthday." She whispered, the tears brimming over and slowly started to trickle down her pale cheeks. "Then…" She raised a hand and swiped at the tears in obvious annoyance though more flowed to take their place. "Something changed. I don't know what did…" Her lips trembled with the effort to keep her husky voice even. "All I know is that…I have…changed."

"Misao-chan…" Kaoru murmured her name softly and set her cup to the side, moving to take the weeping young woman's cup from her shaking hands.

"I…" She paused and swallowed passed the lump lodged painfully in her throat. "I'm not as easily angered anymore…" She forced a watery smile to her lips. "My temper seems to have lessened." The smile faded faster than it formed. "My attitude has changed." She stood and gestured towards her slender form. "My body has grown. I'm a woman now…though I'm still small, there are still men who look at me with appreciation in their eyes…b-but…" She paused and swiped at the tears again. "But Aoshi-sama…h-he…he still…" Unable to continue, she dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands, her voice dissolving into quiet sobs of heartbreak.

Kaoru closed the distance and slipped an arm around her shaking shoulders, offering comfort in the only way she knew how. A broken heart, she knew, was more painful than any broken bone or bruise a person could suffer. She wished with all her heart that she could ease her friend's pain, but she knew, with certainty, only time could ever heal this wound. All she could do for Misao right now was offer comfort and understanding. "But Aoshi-san still doesn't look at you the way you want him, too." She finished Misao's unfinished sentence in a soft whisper as she tightened her arms around the younger woman's shaking shoulders. "He doesn't look at you as a woman he desires…" She murmured and closed her eyes on a heavy sigh. "The way he must have looked at Megumi-san the day of your birthday." She finished and gently rocked her younger friend, a woman she thought of as a sister, and murmured soft words of sympathy as she wept bitter tears of a broken heart.

Misao's arms moved around Kaoru as she buried her face against the other woman's shoulder, the tears flowing faster as sobs wracked her small frame. The pain she felt inside would diminish, she knew…but it would take time. Time, she'd been told, healed all wounds…but at the moment that knowledge offered cold comfort to the dull ache she felt deep within her soul.

Sometime later Misao's tears finally stopped flowing and her sobs were replaced by the occasion sniffle or hiccough. Kaoru gentle stroked her dark hair and continued to offer words of understanding. Finally, when it seemed the younger woman had calmed, Kaoru sighed in relief. Thinking to ease the burden of her friend's heartache, she smiled and answered Misao's earlier question. "You're right about Kenshin and me." She whispered softly. "We…I mean…" She felt a soft blush warming her cheeks. "I-I am truly his woman now." Misao pulled away and gazed at her with glistening green eyes, expression revealing a pleased surprise, though shadows still lingered in her gaze.

Wishing to see her friend's bright smile once again, Kaoru reached up and tucked a strand of her dark hair that had worked its way free of her long braid behind her ear. "But remember I was just as confused as you must be…"

Misao snorted and wiped the last remnants of tears from her face. "Don't forget annoyed." She muttered before falling silent again.

Kaoru smiled and nodded. "Yes, and annoyed. But, you know…it does get better." Her smile widened and a dreamy look entered her deep blue eyes.

The young ninja frowned in puzzlement. "Better?" Her eyes widened when Kaoru blushed and pressed her palms to her flaming cheeks, giggles working their way past her smiling lips. "O-oh…b-better…" She murmured softly, silently hoping the other woman didn't give her details while at the same time wishing to know more.

Smiling at the shocked expression and almost wistful eagerness Misao wore, Kaoru knew somehow that she was doing the right thing. Misao was now focusing on something other than her own misery and the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu knew that soon her younger friend might be able to smile without shadows lingering in her once vibrant green eyes. Leaning forward, she pressed her forefinger to her lips. "I have a secret, Misao-chan." She whispered confidingly, her smile widening at the curious expression the other girl wore now. "One Kenshin hasn't figured out yet." She winked and grinned widely. "May I share it with you?"

Green eyes wide with surprise and anticipation, Misao nodded slowly. She was curious, despite her lingering sadness, as to what Himura Kenshin had yet to discover about Kaoru. She found it difficult to believe that anything slipped passed the rurouni. Though he played the fool, she knew he was anything but that. "What is it?" She whispered softly, conspiratorially.

Reaching out, she grabbed her friend's hand and brought it to rest against her flat abdomen. She could barely contain her excitement at finally being able to share her secret with someone other than Takani Megumi. "There is a life growing inside of me, Misao-chan…" She whispered, smiling at the look of wonder filling the other young woman's eyes. "A…a life that was made by the love I share with Kenshin." She looked down and brushed her fingers over the material of her yukata covering her stomach. "A life that is a part of the both us." She looked up expression radiant with pure joy. "It's like my mother always said…" Misao leaned forward slightly, listening intently. "Love will always create love."

Kaoru smiled as Misao leaned forward, bending closer, her small hands moving from place to place over her abdomen. It was apparent the younger woman was in awe of what she now knew grew within. Misao's next words were almost too quiet to register she whispered them so softly. "Love?" Kaoru felt tears fill her eyes at the wistful longing in the softly whispered question. "What's it like to be loved, I wonder..." Slowly, Misao looked up. Tears filled Kaoru's eyes when she saw the dullness and pain of being denied what the other girl had longed for so long lingering in the green depths. Slowly, the tears spilled over her cheeks as she realised the truth…that Misao's spirit had been damaged by the rejection she'd suffered.

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Pulling back into the security of the shadows, a lone drenched figure peered through the hard driven rain and waited. Ignoring his soaked clothing hanging heavily on his frame, clinging wetly to his clammy skin, he hunched his shoulders and blinked rain out of his eyes, reaching up slowly to brush his dripping hair away from his face. Shifting from one foot to another, silently increasing circulation into his cold extremities, he watched his prey vigilantly, dark eyes narrowed against the nearly impenetrable shield the torrential rain placed in the distance between hunter and hunted.

He allowed his mind to wander down a familiar path, the same bittersweet pain now almost pleasurable in comparison to the emptiness that followed him from day to day. His lips moved slowly, mouthing the familiar words silently, his breath puffing out gently, condensing in the cooler air surrounding him. "Rain, like snow, is a beautiful thing..." He shifted his weight once again, cold fingers fiddling with the ties holding his haori closed against the elements bombarding him. "Always cold...always damp...so pure." A soft sigh escaped his parted lips, narrowed eyes never leaving the object of his perusal a short distance away from his stealthy location. Briefly he closed his eyes, images flitting through his mind, sharpening the pleasure pain jolting through him at the memories assailing him. Rather than running from the intensity, he embraced it and used it to fuel his sense of purpose. Dark eyes snapping open, he focused again on his self-imposed task and tilted his head to the side in consideration. "Only the purest things enjoy the rain and snow...the cleansing it offers." A fleeting smile played about his lips. "No matter how hard it rains or snows it cleanses the soul." His expression hardened. "But not dirty souls." His eyes narrowed as his hands closed into white-knuckled fists at his sides. "Never filthy souls that change it. Dirty souls will never be clean...no amount of pure rain or snow will ever wash away the foulness...the stench...of corruption clinging to it." He slowly raised a hand to rub absentmindedly at the back of his neck, features twisting with hatred. "Oh yes...there are men like that...oh yes indeed...filthy...disgusting...unclean..." He drew in a deep breath through his nose, imagining that he could almost smell the fragrance of magnolias blooming. "There was a man once...a short time ago...yes, there once was a man who did purity with his baseness...oh yes...he spread his filth upon the cleanliness of perfection..." The muttered words trailed off as he continued to rub at the back of his neck, his fingers brushing against the roughness of a scar that served to remind him of the truth of his musings.

His hand moved restlessly over the puckered skin at his nape, a scowl crossing his shadowed features, dark eyes going slightly out of focus. A man...but had he really been that? Hadn't there been something else...something almost inhuman about him that struck terror into the hearts of the bravest of men? Hadn't there been whispers in the taverns, rumours so widespread that no matter where he went in Japan he could always hear them? A demon, a monster...a _killing monster. _He lowered his hand to rest against the hilt of a katana hidden beneath the concealing material of his haori. Oh yes, he'd been so much more than a mere mortal man. His prowess on the battlefield, his uncanny ability to read his opponents flawlessly, his god-like speed...he was so much more than just a man. Or rather...he _had been_ more than a mere mortal man. Everywhere he went now, all he heard were tales of how his nemesis had become nothing more than a mere wanderer...a self-proclaimed rurouni...and a man who refused to kill, no matter what the circumstances, a veritable peace keeper.

His hands closed into fists, knuckles turning white as rage threatened to consume him. "Unacceptable!" The word emerged through clenched teeth to echo hollowly in his ears, barely covered by the pounding rain. He drew in several deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. He'd waited too long for this day to come to be thwarted by his own carelessness. He couldn't afford to be discovered...not yet at least. But still...a man who had taken so many lives...murdered so many men... "And women..." He muttered bitterly, mind wandering for a moment to one particular woman who had died by the monster's blade. "He doesn't deserve the happiness he now has...this _rurouni_!" A killer should be punished for the blood he had spilled, the crimes he had committed. "For the sin of stealing away such innocence..." And yet here, in the once beautiful and near sacred Edo, the monster was allowed to go free, to live a life he didn't deserve. "He shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets..." Nor should he be allowed to experience joy and sorrow, tenderness and kindness... "Love..." The concept left a bitter taste in his mouth...that one such as the creature now calling himself rurouni would experience something as beautiful and wonderful as love after all that he had done, all that he had stolen, all that he had corrupted with the filth of his existence...it was unacceptable.

His eyes narrowed as he focused once again on the dwelling across the road from his position of concealment. He watched the woman who occupied the house...or rather doujou...where the so-called rurouni resided. He found it almost interesting to observe her going about her business. There were two females...one was almost certainly the woman who warmed the murderer's futon at night, but which one? This is where his dilemma lay. He didn't know which was his enemies woman. It was impossible to decide, based on their actions alone, which of them allowed the blood-soaked hands to steal away their innocence night after night. Attempting to listen in on their conversation was useless as well. The deluge of rain dampened the sound of their voice, no matter how hard he strained to hear. It seemed to him, almost, as if they were in need of comforting one another. He briefly wondered at that, scowling as the driving rain obliterated his view for a moment. Silently, he began to move closer under cover of the torrential wind-driven rain. He couldn't afford to miss anything, he needed to be closer to hear and see their every move. He wouldn't allow this chance for vengeance to pass him by.

He watched for a short while longer before giving up. There was no way to tell for certain which was which. Expression hardening, he made his decision. He would ensure that the rain never again dropped tears of blood. However, to do so...both women must be secured. He would get the truth out of them...one way or another. Without further delay, he moved swiftly, attacking with near silence under cover of the tumultuous storm bombarding the city and the crash of thunder.

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